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↑ The Shadow Rap jerkbaits from Rapala feature colours that include Carbon (top) and Bud.

Rapala unveiled what it describes as a ‘game-changing’ new jerkbait ahead of the 2015 Bassmaster Classic.

The new Shadow Rap® and Shadow Deep Rap® are suspending jerkbaits that combine a horizontal struggle and vertical fade to mimic a dying minnow’s final moments – an action designed to trick fish into moving in to strike.

“The Shadow Rap does something I have never seen a bait do – I call it the ‘death quiver’. When you pause it on slack, it shimmies from side to side as it’s suspended there. So even when it’s sitting there, it looks barely alive,” said three-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier and 2014 Forrest Wood Cup winner, Randall Tharp.

Tharp and fellow Rapala pros, Michael Iaconelli, Brandon Palanuik, Ott DeFoe and Jacob Wheeler are using the Shadow Raps at the Bassmaster Classic, which is currently being held on South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell.

“While most jerkbaits follow a forward trajectory, with each twitch of the rod tip, the Shadow Rap’s action stands out. Not only will it dart from side to side, but with a certain jerk, you can make it spin around almost 180 degrees,” explained Tharp. “But it also moves vertically too – it will dive down and then move up. So a Shadow Rap will trigger bites on its initial kick and its snap back to life as well as on its slow-fading fall.”

Featuring a minnow body profile, flat sides and metallic finish with textured scales, the Shadow Rap is designed to target bass and other game fish in two to four feet of water. The Shadow Deep Rap targets fish in four to eight feet.